DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bastyr (US 10741162 B1).
With respect to claim 1, Bastyr discloses an active noise reduction system, comprising:
a canceling sound output device (fig.1 #124; fig.5 #524) configured to output a canceling sound for canceling a noise (col.6 ln.35-38; col.10 ln.6-11; speaker #124,524 outputs anti-noise signal Y(n) for cancelling noise at a location of a user);
an error microphone (fig.1 #112; fig.5 #512) configured to generate an error signal based on the noise and the canceling sound (col.6 ln.35-38; col.9 ln.52-55; microphone #112,512 captures an error signal based on road noise and the anti-noise signal from speaker #124,324); and
a controller (fig.5 #500) configured to control the canceling sound output device based on the error signal (col.9 ln.39-58), wherein the controller includes:
a control filter (fig.5 #518) configured to generate a control signal for controlling the canceling sound output device (col.9 ln.59-67, col.10 ln.1-5; ANC system #500 comprises a controllable filter #519 for generating anti-noise signal Y(n) for controlling speaker #524); and
a secondary path filter (fig.5 #522) that represents an estimation value of a transfer function of a secondary path from the canceling sound output device to the error microphone (col.9 ln.25-28,59-63; secondary path filter #522 provides an estimation of a transfer function S(z) between the speaker #524 and microphone #512),
the active noise reduction system further comprises a reference microphone (fig.1 #108; fig.5 #508) provided separately from the error microphone (col.5 ln.51-67; a microphone may be used as the vibration sensor #108,508 to generate the reference noise signal or “determination signal” X(n)),
the reference microphone is configured to generate a determination signal (fig.5 “X(n)”) based on at least the noise (col.9 ln.59-67, col.10 ln.1-5; sensor #507 generates a determination signal or reference noise signal X(n)), and
the controller is configured to determine whether the transfer function of the secondary path has changed based on the error signal and the determination signal (col.11 ln.14-39; signal analysis controller #562 may validate the accuracy of the secondary path filter #522 by comparing the error signal e(n) to a modified version of the determination signal X(n), referred to as the simulated error signal esim(n). This comparison of signals is “based on” the error signal e(n) and the determination signal X(n). This validation of accuracy of the secondary path reflects any changes to the secondary path itself).
With respect to claim 2, Bastyr discloses the active noise reduction system according to claim 1, further comprising a second canceling sound output device provided separately from the canceling sound output device, wherein the controller includes a second control filter configured to generate a second control signal for controlling the second canceling sound output device, and the second control filter is configured to be adaptively updated based on the determination signal (col.7 ln.24-42; As shown in figure 2 of Bastyr, the active noise reduction system may be expanded to include at least a second canceling sound output device “L Speakers #224” wherein the controller comprises at least a second control filter “R*L W-filters #218” for generating control signals for each canceling sound output device #224, based on determination signals from sensors #208).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 3 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bastyr (US 10741162 B1) in view of Shridhar et al (US 20100290635 A1).
With respect to claim 3, Bastyr discloses the active noise reduction system according to claim 2, however does not disclose expressly wherein the controller includes a second secondary path filter that represents an estimation value of a transfer function of a second secondary path from the second canceling sound output device to the reference microphone, and the controller is configured to determine whether the transfer function of the second secondary path has changed based on the error signal and the determination signal.
Shridhar discloses an active noise reduction system comprising: first and second cancelling sound output devices (fig.3 #200) configured to output sound for cancelling noise; first and second error microphones (fig.3 #202) configured to generate an error signal based on the noise and the canceling sound, and first and second secondary path filters (fig.3 #322) that represents an estimation of a transfer function of a secondary path (fig.3 #315) from each cancelling sound output device to each error microphone (Par.[0037][0044]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the present invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use a secondary path filter for each control filter path of Bastyr, as performed by Shridhar. The motivation for doing so would have been to estimate a secondary path transfer function between each sound output device and each error microphone within the active noise reduction system, thereby individually adapting each noise cancelling signal according to the acoustics of each secondary path.
With respect to claim 7, Bastyr discloses the active noise reduction system according to claim 1, further comprising a second canceling sound output device provided separately from the canceling sound output device (col.7 ln.24-42; As shown in figure 2 of Bastyr, the active noise reduction system may be expanded to include at least a second canceling sound output device “L Speakers #224” wherein the controller comprises at least a second control filter “R*L W-filters #218” for generating control signals for each canceling sound output device #224, based on determination signals from sensors #208), however does not disclose expressly wherein the controller includes a second secondary path filter that represents an estimation value of a transfer function of a second secondary path from the second canceling sound output device to the reference microphone.
Shridhar discloses an active noise reduction system comprising: first and second cancelling sound output devices (fig.3 #200) configured to output sound for cancelling noise; first and second error microphones (fig.3 #202) configured to generate an error signal based on the noise and the canceling sound, and first and second secondary path filters (fig.3 #322) that represents an estimation of a transfer function of a secondary path (fig.3 #315) from each cancelling sound output device to each error microphone (Par.[0037][0044]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the present invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use a secondary path filter for each control filter path of Bastyr, as performed by Shridhar. The motivation for doing so would have been to estimate a secondary path transfer function between each sound output device and each error microphone within the active noise reduction system, thereby individually adapting each noise cancelling signal according to the acoustics of each secondary path.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Christoph et al (US 20100195844 A1) discloses an adaptive noise control system.
Wurm (US 20100014685 A1) discloses an adaptive noise control system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON R KURR whose telephone number is (571)270-5981. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9-5.
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JASON R. KURR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2695
/JASON R KURR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695